A False Champion
by FlashGenius
Summary: Even those who believe they are the mightiest warriors, the cleverest politicians, may fall before people who wield magic, or can twist their words to make any loophole. When someone comes alone with these traits, they often leave shadows stretching across generations, affecting many people. But with one person, he is a legend walking, continuing to exist in the face of everything.


The Ironspike Mountains, a formidable obstacle to most people. The people who settled in the mountains turned out to be some of the strongest people in Runeterra, from the combination of thin air, and the deviation between temperatures. It was boiling hot during the days, and at night, the temperatures were low enough that fast flowing water would freeze. In short, it was the perfect place to go if you didn't want to be bothered by other people. The settlements were few and far, you could go several days without seeing another human. The foothills around the mountains were often used as a way to get away from the political intrigue that surrounded the city-states. They were isolated from the city-states, but close enough that people could return if there was a crisis. However, the people who lived high in the mountains wish nothing more than to be left alone, and not drawn into the political conflicts that plague Valoran. The current Grand General of Noxus, Swain, has seen to it that several slavers have been sent into the Ironspike Mountains to find the people of the mountains. They are not a real political party, and thus, not protected by the Institute of War. The people of the mountains are notorious for being strong workers, being raised in the environment of the mountains. The slavers also serve another purpose, making sweeps of the mountains, looking for pursued criminals. And one of these crews found a very important criminal to Noxus.

Riven was in trouble, she knew that much. Riven was wounded, forced to flee from the 10 man noxian patrol. They had both been surprised when they had stumbled upon each other. Riven had made her camp for the night, and the noxian patrol was preparing to do the same. They had broken into the clearing she had set up in, and proceeded to try and capture her. She left behind most of her essential camping gear, so if they didn't kill her, the mountains will. In her flight from them, one of them had gotten an arrow into her shoulder, so she was stumbling around the mountain, in huge amounts of pain, and rapidly getting dark. The one advantage she was getting from the darkness was that it would be getting harder and harder for the noxians to continue tracking her. At this point, her only hope would be to find one of the mountain villages, and even then, they might not be willing to help her, if it meant saving themselves from the noxian slavers. Suddenly, Riven paused, forcing herself to stop running, and listen to the forest around her over her elevated heartbeat. Had the bushes behind her just rustled? Was the noxian patrol really that close? She closed her eyes, waiting for the arrow she knew was coming to pierce her heart. Something totally unexpected happened though. A sword hilt smashed into her temple, knocking her unconscious, instead of killing her. As she went down, she could only wonder, why?

When Riven finally opened her eyes, she had a splitting headache. Her memory was fuzzy, and she took several moments to recall what had happened last night. The noxian patrol finding her, being shot, her desperate flight, and the sudden pain in her temples from being knocked out, all came back to her at once. She looked around, suddenly wondering where she was taken after she had been knocked out. The cave she was currently in was a small one, but it seemed whoever lived here had been here for a long time. The belongings of the owner were neatly arranged on both natural shelves on the cave wall, and manmade wooden shelves. There was a small fire pit in the back of the cave, and the rest of the cave was well swept from any small debris. She went to get up, and realized she was tied up, rather tightly. She could squirm around in the rope, and that was about it. As she was beginning to panic, from being in a situation where her life could be taken by anything, like the noxians finding this cave, or a wild creature wandering in. As she was starting to struggle though, she was stopped by a voice ringing out from part of the cave she couldn't see, as her back was to it.

"If I were you, I would stop struggling. It might reopen your wound."

When it was mentioned, Riven remembered her arrow wound, and realized it was tightly wrapped in bandages, keeping the wound closed and safe from infection. She managed to twist herself around, and get a look at her assailant. It was a man, as Riven had expected from the deep voice, who had long straight brown hair, with grey eyes that seemed to stare through her, and they had a look in them that implied that the owner had seen far too much with them. He had a very imposing figure, easily 200 pounds, and over 6 feet tall. Riven was very aware of her vulnerable position, with the man sitting right above her. Nothing had alerted her to his presence, even though normally, Riven could almost sense people standing behind her. The man spoke in such a commanding way, it was almost impossible not to stop and listen. The man was very obviously used to people listening to his orders. "You know, when most people come into this part of the mountains, I kill them without hesitation. So tell me, why should I save you from those Noxians hunting you down?"

"Because you already went through the trouble of saving me from them."

This makes the smirk slightly, thinking about what she said. "I guess I have already saved you from them, so that would mean you are in my debt now, wouldn't you say?"

Riven nodded, wondering what the man could ask of her, considering he seemed fairly content in the mountains, having become set up in this little cave of his. She opened her mouth to ask, but was cut short when he raised his hand with something hanging from it. A standard necklace, issued by the league to all the champions. It was perhaps the one thing all of the champions have in common, beyond being champions. "This is a necklace issued to all of the champions of the league, correct?"

She merely nodded that yes, it is indeed one the necklaces. "So I would be correct in assuming that you are one of the champions of the league, and is not a cheap knockoff?"

Riven nodded her head once again. "So you are the champion of the league Riven, the Exile?"

She nodded her head, becoming impatient with all of the questions and him not getting to the point. "Why are you so interested in the league, and if I'm a champion or not?"

He rose from where he was sitting, and moved in front of her so she didn't have to twist in the ropes so awkwardly. "Sorry, when you're alone with no one for company but yourself, you tend to get a little long-winded and sluggish."

"So what is it about that league that fascinates you so much?"

"Oh yes, I was thinking that the time I might have to rejoin the politics of the world is coming soon, and to do that, a place as a champion in the League of Legends might be helpful to me."

Riven looked at the man, and despite his youthful look, Riven couldn't place him as a part of any Noxian politics in her memory. She mentally shrugged. He must have been involved with one of the other city states in politics. "So you want me to put in a good word for you at the League? That's it?" That's almost too easy, most champions put in their _good words _for lots of people, but they always are summoners, not champions of the leagues. She didn't know if it will help him or not, but it wouldn't hurt his chances. "Okay then, I'll put in your good word, once we get back to the Institute."

As she finishes saying it however, there's a sudden commotion at the mouth of the cave, and a dozen elite Noxian shock troopers burst into the cave, most likely brought here by the slave drivers that had found her, and tracked her to this cave.

The man however, doesn't react at all, if anything, he seems to relax when they're all in the cave.

"So you finally came into the cave? Took you long enough. You guys should really work on learning to move quietly."

The men merely stared at him.

"So how about this, you guys probably want her alive to take back to Noxus, I don't want my cave wrecked, so lets take this outside, shall we?"

All of the soldiers exchanged looks and the leader among them nodded, and they trooped outside followed by the man, leaving Riven helplessly tied up. For a couple minutes there was silence, and suddenly metal on metal screeches, with men screaming out in pain. And suddenly all of the sounds from outside stop. And she could hear a single man's footsteps coming into the cave. The man walks into the cave, shockingly without a scratch or drop of blood on him.

Riven stares at him in shock. A dozen of some of Noxus's finest troops, slaughtered without a scratch of drop of blood on him. "How? Who are you?"

"I just realized, I never introduced myself. I am Icen, and who I am is none of your business. You may find out soon though, depending on how the League reacts to me."


End file.
